Dragonball Z Blood Year
by Michael Brendan
Summary: After many years of peace since the attack of Majin Buu, the ZFighters must again take to battle as a mysterious creature awakens for his century feeding. Blood will fall like rain, and it's up to the Saiyans to stop his reign of terror.
1. Prologue

Many years after the greatest battle the earth had ever seen, life in Japan continued to flourish regularly. The memory of the great terror had been erased from the minds of the citizens thanks to Goku's dragonball wish. Only the Z-Fighters were granted access to the memory of the threat - a battle that none of them would ever forget. Nearly a decade later, no one knew who "Buu" or "Babadi" was. Life continued, families grew, and studies were persued. This pattern afflicted the lives of the Z-Fighters who continued to raise their families after the great battle. Young Trunks and Goten, now teenagers, had begun their studies in middle school. Pan, daughter of Gohan and Videl, began to train under the "guidance" of her grandfather, Hercule Satan. Krillin and Eighteen were busy raising their own daughter, Marron. Vegeta and Bulma were the proud parents of a new baby girl named Bra. Goku and Chi Chi finally had time to relax.  
However, this is not a tale of how wonderful their lives were after the destruction of Buu. This is the forgotten tale of how one phenom arose from his slumber and nearly ended the lives of every Z-Fighter. This is the tale of the Blood Year. 


	2. The Satan City Fair

"Yeah, I nailed the target in the first try!" an excited Goten yelled, waiving the pop gun about at the shooting gallery. The annual fair had arrived in Satan City, and everyone was participating in one way or another. The young teen sported a teal blue sweatshirt with matching sweatpants, and white running shoes. He kept his hair cut short and slightly spiked. His eyes shimmered with excitement as he went for another shot. With a carefully aimed shot, the stuffed pig with a target painted on its belly took another cork pelt right on its bull's eye. As the pig fell over, Goten again performed his victory celebration. "You're such a show off!" Trunks growled, awaiting his turn in line. "Out of the way so I can win something for Pan!" Trunks still sported the same style of outfit he wore as a child, but added his trusty CAPSULE CORP. jacket to his wardrobe. He had somewhat grew out his lavender hair to the point where his undercut could no longer be seen. His eyes seemed to tremble as he took aim and fired. The cork missed the other stuffed pig by a long shot, flying off to the back area. As Trunks growled and threw the pop gun to the ground, Goten burst into laughter. "What's so funny?!" Trunks growled at Goten with a fierce tone. "By the time you win Pan anything, she'll be through college and moved away," Goten stated with a slight chuckle.  
"Damn that gun! It's a stupid game anyways.." Trunks complained while walking away. With a slight smirk, he formed a tiny ball of ki between his index finger and thumb. He swiftly tossed it over his shoulder, nailing the stuffed pig and sending its stuffing streaming through the air. "Nice one, Trunks. Just get us kicked out, why don't you?" Goten remarked. "It's not like anyone even saw me. You worry too much, Goten," Trunks commented, stretching his arms out as he walked. "Hey, guys!" a voice called to them from afar. The two stopped and looked behind them. It was none other than Pan, desperately trying to catch up to them. "Hey Pan! How are you?" Goten quickly asked. "I'm fine, Uncle Goten! Did you win me anything?" she said with a twinkle in her bright eye. Young Pan covered her head with a bandanna. She was sporting her usual blue jeans with a light colored shirt. She had a small vest covering most of the shirt, and her hair was let down as usual. She had a small piece of artwork face painted to her cheek. It was a tiny, blue robot. "What is that on your face, Pan?" Trunks asked with a look of confusion. Pan gasped for a moment. "You mean you've never heard of Rockman?!" she asked. "I┘suppose I haven't," he replied. "I would have won you a prize, Pan, but Trunks decided to be pig headed and not wait his turn. He did pretty badly and then blew up the booth," Goten said to Pan, then turned to Trunks with a scowl. Pan put her hands to her hips and looked at Trunks with an annoyed look. "I..guess I lost my temper?" Trunks said, putting on his best bright yet worried smile while loosening his shirt collar. Pan did not reply. She stuck her tongue out at him instead.

"I wonder what everyone else is doing?" Goten asked, trying to cool off the situation. Everyone then agreed to go look around and see everything there was to see. As they walked across the grass field of the fair, they saw a familiar patch of black hair that stood above the crowd. They hurried over to the black hair to see that it was indeed Vegeta. The Saiyan prince had ditched his battle suit and was now sporting a dark blue muscle shirt and black jeans instead. There was a small amount of stubble on his upper lip, showing signs that he was possibly trying to grow a moustache. He was playing at the "Fish in a Barrel" booth. "Okay, sir! You've got one shot to hit the fish in the barrel with this BB gun. Go!" the game master said, sporting a goofy barber shop singer type of appearance. Vegeta shrugged and simply stared at the gun, then tossed it aside. "Why use that impudent thing when I have my own means of blasting?" Vegeta asked as he placed his hand over the barrel. Vegeta began powering up a ball of ki in his palm, and then aimed toward the fish. "Sir, you can't do that!" the game master said with a shout.  
"Watch me," Vegeta simply answered. Vegeta smiled sinisterly as he fired the blast into the barrel, sending the water in all directions and the toy fish straight into the sky. "Where's my prize, fool?!" Vegeta shouted, pointing at the airborne fish. With a sweat bead trickling down his face, the game master let out a shout of fear and ran down the field, never to be seen again. "Nice one, Dad.." Trunks said with a hint of sarcasm. "I think that's our cue to leave," Goten said, looking around at the growing crowd Vegeta had brought. Pan and Trunks nodded. The three then headed for the fair's exit. Finally arriving at the exit, they were met by Master Roshi, who was wearing a goofy Hawaiian shirt, running shorts, island sandals, shades, and a baseball cap worn backwards. He approached without a single greeting. "Hey, everybody! That was some fair! Oh yeah..I was supposed to tell you something. Hmm┘that's right! Gohan asked if I'd bring Pan home immediately. She has a heavy amount of school work to do." "School work?" Pan gasped, giving a sickened look. "I don't want to do any school work!" "Sorry, kid, but it's your father's orders." Roshi said with a smile. Pan's expression turned to sadness and disappointment as she followed Roshi down the street. "Say hi to Gohan for me, Master Roshi!" Goten called to the old master as he walked Pan down the street lit up by street lamps. The two teens then looked up into the night's sky. "Wow, I had no idea it was dark already!" Goten concluded. "Yeah, we've got school tomorrow too. We'd better be getting home." Trunks replied. "I'll race you to my house!" Goten challenged Trunks as he got into a running position. "You're on, slow poke!" Trunks said, quickly obtaining the same pose.  
"On your mark┘get set┘" "Go!" Trunks blurted out before Goten could finish. Trunks quickly flexed his muscles and his hair shot slightly up, turning golden colored. The boy then blasted down the street in a golden flash. "Hey, you never said anything about a Super Saiyan race!" Goten called to him. He quickly tapped into his Super Saiyan form and chased after Trunks. 


	3. The World's New Curse

Hearing Goten hurrying behind him, Trunks turned it up a notch. He pushed all of his energy to fly faster than he had ever flown before. The street lit up in the night from the glowing auras of the two Saiyans, but no one was around to see it. The dusty roads held nothing but old newspapers and other junk blowing down the road. Several of the buildings on this block had their windows knocked out of them, and several others were dusty and abandoned. A few cardboard boxes sat at the end of the street, possibly homes for hobos. The street lamps stood strong and tall along side a large brick wall to the very left of the street. Before Trunks could get to another block, he was suddenly stopped by a shadowy figure that stepped out of the street corner. Trunks could feel a great energy from somewhere pushing him away from this area, forcing him to stop where he stood. He began frantically glancing around, trying to find out where such a power could be coming from.

"What's wrong, child? You seem to be confused about something," the figure called out to him in a raspy, dead voice. He had still not moved an inch. "Look, weirdo. Whatever my problem is, I'm sure you couldn't help out if you wanted to. Do us a favor and scram already!" Trunks yelled at the figure with annoyance. The figure simply uttered a deep laugh as it finally moved from its spot and into the unknown. A sound of raw energy approached the area as Goten flew onto the scene. He too suddenly felt the intense power and returned to normal form. He looked about, and then spotted Trunks. "Do you feel that?" he asked. "Yeah. I have no clue where it's coming from..." he replied. The shadowy figure then again appeared before both of them, this time floating in the air. With a loud bang and a rake of lightning, the figure's true form appeared. A pale white man with a very gruff face and long, white hair appeared. His eyes were stone grey and his smile just as dead. He wore an old, white dress shirt from the middle ages and matching black dress pants. His finger nails were very long and gleamed in the light to show their sharpened edges. The man uttered another deep laugh, baring his long, pointy fangs for the both of them to see. Trunks and Goten immediately took fighting positions, clutching their fists and growling at the man. They could both sense that the energy was coming from him afterall. The floating man simply looked at both of them with sheer amusement. "Ahhh...so much power within just two bodies! I knew it was time to awake! I could smell such power..such great energy! This newrace will become my perfect meal!" he said aloud, continue to laugh at them. "What do you mean 'meal'? You can't eat us!" Goten called back at the man, standing next to a street light. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Duriel, the vampire master of Earth! I only need to feed my hunger every 100 years or so. When the time comes, I begin to smell blood. I begin to smell...raw energy! Your kind was not here the last time I was awake, and what a shame too! Your race smells so fresh, so strong, so...tasty." Duriel taunted the two young Saiyans. "For your information, Fruitbat, we're Saiyans - the strongest race to ever live!" Trunks replied with a smirk on his face. The wind began to pick up all around and throw garbage everywhere as Duriel continued to laugh at the young half-breeds. Narrowing his eyes at Trunks, he licked his tongue over his fangs. "That has yet to be proven. Come try me," he said challengingly. Without another word said, Trunks powered into Super Saiyan form and launched himself towards Duriel's face. "Wait, Trunks!" Goten yelled, transforming as well and following Trunks. The Saiyan prince, Trunks, quickly tried a series of lightning fast punches towards Duriel's head, but Duriel nimbly moved his neck to dodge every last one of them. Duriel then grabbed Trunks by his throat, forced him to tilt his head, and then bared his fangs in preparation to strike. Goten quickly knocked Duriel away with a ki blast to his face, freeing him from the grasp of the ghoulish assailant. The two then looked around. The vampire had vanished. They could still sense he was near. "He's far too powerful for us, Trunks! What do we do?!" Goten called to Trunks while placing his back against Trunks', creating a human shield for one another. "Do you remember the Fusion Dance?" Trunks asked. Somewhat," Goten replied. "Get ready to perform it!" Trunks yelled, and then quickly leapt away from Goten. The two then quickly rose to their feet and began skillfully performing each step of the ancient dance. "Fu-sion-ha!" They both leaned to one side and touched both of their index fingers together, creating an awe inspiring light and a shadow of the two of them merging together as one. With an incredible explosion and a flash of light, only one stood. One teen-aged being with spiked black hair and lavender sides stood with fists and teeth clenched. He wore white, baggy pants and a dark blue vest, opened to show the bare center of his chest. The anger on his face quickly faded into a smile. "So you think you can push us around, do you?" he said in the harmonious tone of both boys' voices. "Our name is Gotenks. Your name is Toast, bastard!" Gotenks yelled out while slightly powering up. Trash in the street around him began to lift into the air and the street pavement below him collapsed under his pressure. "Show yourself!" With that, a sudden shot of darkness flew out from behind a tree and straight towards Gotenks' head. Without even moving his head, the fused Saiyan put out his fist and landed a punch squarely onto Duriel's forehead. Duriel fell to the ground and took physical form. He got to his feet and rubbed the stinging sensation from his forehead. "Ahh...so you two have somehow merged into one? This will be much more fun!" Duriel said with a sinister grin. He then pointed his open palm to the sky and fixed his sinister glare on the fused boys. The breeze picked up immediately and sent searing winds in the boys' direction. As Duriel's purple aura grew, so did the wind's pressure. "You seriously aren't thinking about trying to blow us away, are you?" Gotenks asked, bearing a confident smirk with his arms crossed. "I wouldn't dare," he whispered into the night, slightly laughing to himself. The wind grew even greater, suddenly sending a razor sharp gust towards Gotenks. The fused Saiyan felt a stabbing gust meet in his chest area and quickly break around him. Gotenks looked around in confusion. Nothing had happened. He then felt a trickle of a hot liquid on his cheek. He looked at his arms and finally realized that the wind had made several deep cuts in his skin. "So you like using cheap attacks, do you?" Gotenks growled at him in anger. "Fine, we will show you one of our best!" Goten then sucked in all the air he could. His chest and abdomen bloated out with all of his breath. He then spit out a ghost-like replica of himself. The being was missing a lower half and sported an ecto-plasmic tail to replace it. It continued to float in the air and set its pale white eyes on Duriel. "We call this the Kamakazi Ghost attack!" Gotenks informed Duriel with a smirk and the crossing of his arms. Gotenks then nodded towards Duriel. The ghost obeyed and shot forth, aiming for Duriel's chest. Duriel simply stood in awe, not exactly showing fear but more of amazement. His grey eyes widened as the ghost finally collided with his chest then created a massive explosion that sent debris and smoke everywhere. Gotenks smirked as the smoke cleared, but was quick to change his mood to shock when he saw Duriel still hovering over the giant crater the ghost had made in the road. "Is that it, boy? Is that all you've got? If so, I'd like to dine. I haven't had anyone to eat in one hundred years or so!" Duriel wailed with an ear splitting shriek, lunging himself towards Gotenks. Gotenks quickly powered up to Super Saiyan form and landed several swift punches on Duriel's face. He then followed up with a quick lifting kick to his jaw that sent him flying towards the sky. Gotenks quickly flew to the sky and met Duriel in mid-air. He clasped his fists together and hammered Duriel back towards the street below. With a shattering thud, Duriel landed and made another crater in the street. "Alright!" Gotenks yelled out, "We beat him!" Gotenks' victory was cut short when Duriel opened his stone grey eyes and flew back towards him. He quickly landed an elbow onto the Saiyan's abdomen and forced him to bend over. He then moved back from him and cupped both hands over his heart, creating somewhat of a circle around it. "I tire of you, creature. This ends now..." Duriel whispered to his foe, following up with some odd chants. A large, red blast of energy shot forth from the circle Duriel had made on his chest with his hands and engulfed Gotenks. The fused Saiyan could feel his strength instantly drain, and he could no longer move. "I call this my Dark Heart attack. Anyone without a pure heart instantly falls under my command," Duriel informed him. "Now come to me." Gotenks was forced to do as his new master commanded. He flew over to him, and Duriel quickly grabbed him by his golden hair. "You have fought well, creature. Unfortunately, you will now lose this battle...and your life!" Duriel said, then forced Gotenks to tilt his head to the left, baring the very right of his neck. Duriel stared at the exposed flesh. He silently licked his lips before baring his razor sharp fangs. He then threw his head back, then plunged towards Gotenks' neck. Gotenks could only scream out in terror as the creature prepared to assault him, then moaned out in pain as it penetrated him. I could have made this be a rather large battle scene, but I wanted to show how powerful Duriel was. The way I went about that, if anyone noticed, is by having Gotenks use his most powerful attacks on Duriel, only to have them fail. At the moment, I'm not sure how the actual writing is. Perhaps it's too literal? That's what reviewing is for, and e-mail. Let me know what you think! 


	4. Missing Saiyans

The next morning at the house of Chi Chi and Goku, Goku was still sound asleep - that is until the phone rang. Still half asleep, Goku reached for the receiver and picked it up. He steadily placed it to his ear and poorly spoke into it, "He..Hello..?" "Kakarrot, what has your son done with mine? Trunks never made it home last night!" Goku heard Vegeta angrily spitting out on the other end of the line. "Yeah...Goten is at the fair" Goku murmured then plopped his head back on the pillow, dozing off while holding the phone to his ear. "Stop snoring into the voice transporter and wake up, Kakarrot! They were at the fair last night, but they left. I can't even see where Trunks is on this silly 'tracking device' the woman made for him!" Goku finally cleared his head, thought through what Vegeta was telling him, then sprung up from his bed. "Goten and Trunks are MISSING?! Chi Chi's gonna KILL me! I'll be right there, Vegeta!" Goku then quickly hung up and dressed in his street attire: a white muscle shirt, a pair of blue jeans and some cheap running shoes. He then opened the window in his bedroom and jumped through it, flying off through the air. Not too much later, Goku arrived at Capsule Corp. where Vegeta was standing. He was looking towards the sky and tapping his foot impatiently, and still wearing the same outfit from last night. "I see we have no time for grooming," Vegeta said, staring at Goku's nappy hair. Goku just chuckled and tried to quickly fix it, pretending not to be somewhat embarrassed. "Enough of the silly games, we must find the children!" Vegeta said, taking off into the sky. Goku quickly follow, and they began their airborne search of Trunks and Goten. It wasn't too far out from where the fair had been before Goku spotted something. "Hey! Isn't that Trunks' jacket?" Goku exclaimed, pointing at a dark blue jacket lying on a severely battered street. They both flew down and looked at the clue. It was torn and had a few blood stains on it. Vegeta looked around at the massive mess of chunks missing from the ground, street lamps knocked in two, and other odd things. He then noticed another clue. "Those shoes...those are Goten's shoes. I've noticed him wearing them on many occasions," Vegeta said aloud with a sound of confusion. Goku looked over at the shoes, and then back at the jacket, and then his face shifted to worry. "I don't like the looks of this. Something has happened to them. But what could be that strong?" Goku said, trying to think. "I can only thinking of talking to Gohan. He may know something." Goku quickly took to the sky, and Vegeta was quick to follow. After arriving at Gohan's and briefly speaking to him, Goku and Vegeta learned that Master Roshi was the last person to speak with them other than Pan. "Thanks, son," Goku told Gohan, who was dressed in a blue business suit and wore black framed glasses. "No problem, Dad. Find my little brother, okay?" Gohan replied, and then wished them good luck on their search. Their next stop was the Kame house to speak to Master Roshi. However, the old master also had no clue where they had gone. However, he did know what street they could have possibly taken and at what time. The two Saiyans were informed it was the same street that they had found the lost clothing items. "Master Roshi, I'm not liking this at all," Goku told his old master while sitting in a chair and sulking somewhat. "Get up and stop that pitiful act!" Vegeta commanded, still beating a heart of confidence. "The last thing they need is for you to start with the emotional garbage!" Roshi nodded to Vegeta. "These odd clues do have some meaning to me," Roshi said as he studied their findings to his full extent. "I can't promise you I know what happened to them, but I'm sure if you travel to the same area tonight, you just may get your answer." Roshi explained as he stared at Goku. "If I am right, I can also say that they greatly need your help. Don't give up!" Goku and Vegeta then backtracked to the same street they had found the clothing items and perched on the roof of a nearby building until nightfall. Nothing came, just the breeze as the full moon poked through the clouds and shone a pale light all about Satan City. "That old fool! I see no answers!" Vegeta growled with impatience. He had thought of a thousand different ways to spend his day other than sitting on a roof, nine-hundred and ninety-nine of them being training methods. "Have faith, Vegeta! Master Roshi said we would eventually find our answers here. He's been on this planet much longer than we have!" Goku said matter-of-factly. They continued to perch and wait, only to get nothing. Little did they know that the threat was watching from afar, studying them with precise measurements. "They're much stronger than the two last night. I could defeat the angry one, but that other could severely harm me," Duriel said to himself, watching from a street alley. "I need more energy!" Meanwhile, Krillin was happily skipping home from the store with some quick midnight groceries. He skipped and hummed with his eyes closed and his mouth smiling at he walked on. He was wearing his favorite red shirt and white pants. His hair, now getting somewhat longer, was neatly combed. "What a night!" he said with a happy sigh. "I can't wait to get back home to that monster movie marathon!" Before he could take another step, a puddle of darkness began to emerge from a crack in the sidewalk. It began to rise up, grow out, and then take the form of the hideous Duriel, who looked at Krillin with his fangs poking out, cackling. "You're not as powerful as the others...not by a long shot. But, you shall be a tasty treat nonetheless," he laughed aloud. "Treat?!" Krillin stammered. He then had a sudden flashback of the time Majin Buu had consumed him, then threw the groceries to the ground and ran away screaming. "No! Not again! I will not be eaten again!" he shouted out while running as quickly as possible. Duriel quickly appeared before him and stood in his way. "Fangs?" Krillin said in confusion, "Then you must be..." he muttered then grinned. He quickly held out both his index and middle fingers from each hand, then covered the top and bottom portions of his eye sockets. "Solar flare!" he yelled out activating the move. Duriel screamed out in pain as the pale light around him brightened to the point of blinding and felt like a blazing inferno. As Duriel rolled around on the sidewalk and held his face, Krillin decided it was time to run for his life. He quickly ran down the sidewalk and cut the corner. He ran like he had never run before, but was again cut off as lightning struck the ground before him. Duriel stood in front of him, still rubbing his eyes. He growled angrily at Krillin, who gulped hard and screamed out a final cry for help, "Goku!" "Did you hear that?!" Goku perked his ear up and stood to attention. "Something is amiss," Vegeta said, quickly flying towards the distress call. Goku quickly followed, powering up to full extent to fly faster. Finally arriving on the scene, they witnessed a bleeding Krillin lying in the arms of a mysterious man. Krillin used the last of his strength to reach over with his left hand and touch the wounds on the right side of his neck. He then looked at the blood all over his fingers. "Am I going...to die?" he said wearily. "KRILLIN!" Goku shouted out, powering up to Super Saiyan with intense rage. Duriel then looked over at Goku and Vegeta, and then wiped the red essence from his face. " We do not meet yet, Saiyans! Your time will come!" he said, taking Krillin and flying off into the night. "What?! It's like he just vanished...with Krillin!" Goku yelled in confusion. "Damn it, Kakarrot! Pull yourself together! The old turtle freak said he would know something about this matter, we must go speak with him at once!" Vegeta fumed at his old rival, blasting off toward the Kame House alone. "Krillin, I will avenge you, my friend," Goku vowed, then quickly caught up to Vegeta. Did anyone catch that? I showed Duriel's weakness, but Krillin was just too weak to cause any major damage with it. 


	5. Piccolo's Respect

Chapter 4-Piccolo's Respect There was a meeting at the Kame House the very next day. The Turtle Master had a lot to explain, and everyone was all ears. "Just as I feared," Roshi said while clearing his throat. "This is the work of a very old vampire named Duriel. He's been feeding on the strongest warriors for centuries now. After that, they become his undead slaves to do whatever he asks of them." Goku thought about it for a second, then flashed a look of confusion. "But Master Roshi, why didn't he come after you? I thought you were the strongest fighter for a very long time," Goku asked. Master Roshi somewhat fixed his glasses as if he had something he didn't want to say. "I...have always been second rate to someone. Everytime it's been someone like Tien or Piccolo that's been just that much stronger than me, and they're the ones that get attacked. He awakes every one hundred years to begin feeding," Roshi explained to everyone. Widespread whispering to one another and panic arose in the house until Goku spoke up with another question. "Master Roshi, why is Duriel feeding so many times then? It's obvious that he's taken Trunks, Goten, and now Krillin!" Goku asked while trying not to get upset. The old master stroked his beard as he gave much thought to the question. "I'm guessing it's this new blood - Saiyan blood. You guys weren't around last time, so this is new stuff to him. He generally likes the blood of the strongest mammals alive." "You mean to say we're like a new type of dessert to this freak?!" Gohan gulped out loud, then looked over at his young daughter, Pan. Gohan quickly regained his confidence and slammed his fist into his open palm. "He's not laying a single finger on my family!" Gohan stated, showing nothing but a face of action. "The death of my son will be avenged!" Vegeta yelled out while powering up to the point where the small house began to tremble. "Listen everyone," Goku interrupted, "You're not listening to Master Roshi! He steals the energy of his victims. Right now he has the power of Trunks, Goten, and Krillin circulating inside of him. We're going to need to work together to beat him. If we don't, we're all going to be visiting King Yemma!" "Master Roshi, did you not say that Duriel only feeds on the blood of mammals?" a voice from the back cut in. "Well, ehhh...yes. Yes I did. He will only dine on mammals, or so the old books say," Roshi replied to the voice. A figure pushed his way to the center of the group, showing that it was Piccolo that asked the question. "Then it will be me who fights Duriel next. I doubt he's ever fought or tasted a Namek, but we're definitely not mammals," Piccolo told the group with a calm, deep voice. Gohan quickly got a worried expression on his face. "You can't fight him alone, Piccolo! I'll help you! If you go by yourself, he will surely kill you!" Gohan pleaded. Piccolo simply stared into Gohan's eyes with his own two cold, beady eyes, void of speech. "I'll show you that I can help you. Watch this!" Gohan shouted as he ran to the Kame House door, opened it, and then shot out towards the sky. Gohan then concentrated as hard as he possibly could as he went to Super Saiyan, then crackled with energy and electricity as his hair stood up and he shifted into Super Saiyan 2. Picollo continued to stare and say nothing. "Piccolo, Gohan is right. You're committing suicide by fighting Duriel alone. Besides, I would be much better help!" Goku said to Piccolo as he ran out the door and flew up beside his son. Goku then began to concentrate as well as he went into Super Saiyan, then shifted to Super Saiyan 2, and finally grew his hair out to his back and lost his eyebrows as he shifted to Super Saiyan 3. Both of the Saiyan powerhouses stood side by side as Piccolo stared on, still not saying a word. "For the last time, I'm going alone," Piccolo finally muttered, shutting his eyes and concentrating. Gohan stood in shock, then flew back into the house and stood next to Piccolo. "You can't go alone! You've always protected me as I grew up, and I'm not going to let you kill yourself like this!" he protested. Piccolo simply stood in concentration, not opening his eyes for a second. "I wouldn't be doing anything to myself; Duriel would be the one killing me," Piccolo replied with a smirk. Gohan's expression got even worse, not knowing what to say next. In the back, Vegeta slightly smiled. 'What a brave fool,' he thought. 'He knows he won't stand a chance, but he's willing to sacrifice himself to help our cause. He will be missed,' "Piccolo, are you sure you know what you're doing?" Goku asked him after flying back into the house. Piccolo solemnly nodded, still not opening his eyes. "Remember that you may not be fighting just Duriel, Piccolo," Roshi cut in, "He has three slaves at the moment, and they could very well be there to help him. Do not hold back and keep from killing them. They're already dead." Again Piccolo nodded, still concentrating. Everyone stood around the kitchen area, watching Piccolo and he quietly stood and concentrated all of his energy together. He finally opened his eyes and looked around at the crowd that had gathered around him. "It is time..." Piccolo said in a cool tone while walking toward the door. As he grabbed the door knob and turned it, a hand touched onto his shoulder. "Be careful, my friend," Goku's voice came from behind. Piccolo nodded, still not wishing to speak, and then headed out the door. Nightfall later crept into existence and claimed the day. Piccolo sat atop a large, old medieval style church at the edge of town that had been long forgotten. At each corner of the building was a large stone gargoyle that Piccolo sat beside to blend into the scenery. He continued to concentrate and radiate with energy, preparing himself for what could be his final battle. He finally stood up and faced the hard winds that were blowing that night. The wind blew his white cape back into the darkness. Piccolo removed his turban from his head, revealing his Namekian antennae on his forehead. He then unfastened his cape from his shoulders and laid it to rest with his turban. He cracked his green knuckles and bent his neck to its side, making a loud popping sound. "After all of this time, I've always been the one to sacrifice myself in order to help my friends. From the time Vegeta and Nappa arrived on this planet to Frieza to even the Andriods, I wasn't afraid to give my life if I had to. Now will be no different. Goku, we've gone through many battles. When the Saiyans arrived and attacked this planet, it was I that willingly used my Demon Ray to kill both you and Raditz in order to stop his reign. I then took your son to a vast land and trained him to be a warrior. It was I who fused with Nail and tried to stop Frieza so no other planets would have to suffer the same fate that your home planet suffered. I was also the one that fused with Kami to hold the Andriods back so you could heal yourself. I was also willing to fight Imperfect Cell to the death to spare time for the rest of my friends." "Gohan, you've become a brave man and a loyal father. I still remember training you so you could aid your father in battle when the Saiyans arrived. It may seem foolish, but I believe I began seeing you as my own child. I fought to my very end for you, and I would do it again if I had to. I was ready and willing to die at the hands of Cell to save you and the others, and I was the one that showed your father that you were not ready to face Cell alone at the Cell Games. Now I stand in the same situation yet again. Everyone could possibly die, but I could at least spare some time. Each and every one of you are like the family I was never blessed with. I am prepared to die for you all." With that said, Piccolo then powered to his full extent. His normal black eyes began to glow a fiery red. A large, purple aura erupted around him. He growled and clenched his teeth and fists. He clenched his fists so hard that he began to shake all over and blood slowly dripped from his palms. "Duriel! Come out and face me, coward!" Piccolo's voice boomed out through the night. "What would I want with you?" a voice suddenly startled Piccolo. Duriel was sitting on the edge of the building, staring over at Piccolo with his grey eyes. "You're not my type. Scurry home and have a good night," Duriel mocked as he stood up and began to walk away. Piccolo growled with anger. The veins in his forehead pulsed with unchecked rage. He formed a ball of ki in his hand, took aim, and then threw the ball straight for Duriel's head. The vampire quickly turned around and held out his hand, catching the ball and crushing it. He simply smirked and nodded to Piccolo. "I'm guessing you want a fight that badly? You're a fool, whatever you are. Just go home and do yourself a favor." "You're nothing but a weak, filthy coward!" Piccolo yelled out with an intense growl. "Am I? Since you insist on fighting so much, green being, then perhaps you could face off against some of my children." "Children?" Piccolo questioned, continuously keeping his eyes glued to Duriel. Before another word could be said, Piccolo suddenly sensed the presence of three beings behind him. He quickly spun around and gasped in horror as the undead faces of Trunks, Goten, and Krillin stared back at him. Their once bright skin was now a dull grey and their eyes were stone grey as well. They looked paper thin and the skin under their eyes were black and looked very swollen. "Piccolo," the three called out. "Give in. This is a wonderful new world"  
"Nonsense! I know your infestation can't work on me!" Piccolo called back, firing multiple ki blasts at them. All three were quick to dodge, and then vanish. Krillin reappeared beside Piccolo, planting a swift punch to his gut. Trunks and Goten then reappeared slightly above his head and both quickly planted a kick to the back of his head. Piccolo flew through the air with great force, crashing through the building next to the church and landing on the roof of the next building. As he got to his feet and rubbed the back of his head, Piccolo saw the three had followed him as quick as lightning. Piccolo quickly stretched his leg out, tripped all three of them, then threw out three ki blasts. The three ghouls took the blasts in the chest, knocking them back over to the church. He then took a fighting stance, placed his right index and middle fingers on his forehead, and began concentrating. "What is this? Some type of silly green man's amusement?" Duriel asked, having a laugh at Piccolo's straining and facial expression. The three ghouls joined in the laughter, but their amusement quickly ended when Piccolo smiled at them. "Now it's my turn! Demon Ray!" Piccolo called out as his fingers sparked with energy. He then removed them from his forehead and pointed it at the three. A blinding display of purple, spiraling light shot from his fingers, rippling toward his undead foes. Trunks and Goten quickly leapt out of the way, allowing the attack to nail Krillin squarely in the chest, ripping through him. Piccolo watched carefully as the former shadow of Krillin looked down at the gaping hole in its chest. Blood and guts had been blown all over the top of the building, and Krillin closed his eyes and fell over dead. "There's one down..." Piccolo said, turning away from what he had done to the remains of his friend. His eyes were quickly forced open when he felt two feet crash into his abdomen, forcing him to cry out in pain and fall to his knees. After coughing up a small amount of blood, Piccolo wiped his mouth and looked at the mess he had made on the roof's surface. Leaves were lying all over the roof but were destroyed by two pairs of feet stepping on them. Piccolo looked up at the two specters who smiled back with malicious glee. "We've had fun, Piccolo, but it's honestly time to end this silly fight," Trunks and Goten said in unison. They then separated from one another, looked over at each other and nodded with a sinister grin. They then took the first step of the Fusion Dance. Piccolo immediately noticed what they were going to do and a look of panic crossed over his face. "No! You can't!" he called out. The two continued to perform the dance, ignoring Picollo's desperate cries. "Fu-sion-Ha!" A blinding light erupted around the two as they formed the alter-ego Gotenks. "This ends now!" Gotenks cackled. Piccolo wasted no time. He sprung to his feet and threw a flurry of punches at the unexpecting Gotenks. All of the punches connected, forcing Gotenks to back away then hold his injured jaw and abdomen. Gotenks then smiled again and flew towards Piccolo with a fist ready to strike, but Piccolo charged up a ki blast with all of his might and threw it to the ground like a bomb. The blast exploded, sending everyone flying backwards. Piccolo landed on the very edge of the building, nearly falling to his death. Gotenks skillfully landed on his feet and ran back over towards Piccolo. He grabbed Piccolo by his shirt and lifted him into the sky. "So, you dare challenge us even when fused? You're not that smart, Piccolo. Now you must die," Gotenks said in a harmonious voice of the two hosts. Piccolo no longer attempted to struggle; he knew he was defeated. Duriel finally floated down from where he had watched the entire battle. "You are quite the fighter, green man. It is unfortunate that you must die!" the vampire cheered in triumph. Duriel formed a ki sword in his hand and proceeded to skillfully slice every limb from Piccolo's torso - including his head. The two then vanished into the night as the body parts of Piccolo rained down on the earth like blood. Meanwhile, the local street bums were rummaging through the dumpsters in an attempt to find any treasure that could possibly be in there. One of the bums was suddenly smacked in the head by something. "What was that?!" he cried out, removing his head from the dumpster and taking off his toboggin so he could rub his head. "It looked like...an arm!" the other said, looking into the dumpster. "It is an arm!" they both shrieked then backed away from the dumpster with the arm inside. The remaining parts of Piccolo, including the head, then landed all across the street. The two bums cried out in terror, then ran down the street, screaming about such insane things all through the night. Now...is Piccolo really dead? Only the very careful reader and true Dragonball Z fan would know. 


	6. Farewell, Dear Friend

Gohan quietly sat in a grassy meadow near his home. He looked on as the sun arose and claimed the day; a blank look was all that covered his face. No matter how hard he tried to turn his mind toward other thoughts, the image of his dear friend, Piccolo, lingered in his mind. Videl approached Gohan and sat beside him. He put her hand over his. Both of their hands were lying together on the soft blades of grass.

"Gohan, will you please come home and get some rest? I'm worried about you," Videl said in a quiet voice. She rubbed the palm of her hand over his. Her touch was usually very soothing and comforting to Gohan, but it did nothing now. He felt as if his very soul was ready to weep. "He would have returned by now, Videl," Gohan whispered. "Piccolo would have returned to us by now. I can sense it...I can sense that Piccolo is...he's dead!" Gohan shouted out, covering his face with his hand. Gohan muffled out a few sounds of mourning while tears beaded down his face. Videl could only put her arms around the side of his body and rest her head upon his shoulder. Her eyes filled up with tears as well. "He knew what he was doing. He wanted to save us that much, Gohan. Piccolo loved us all." The two embraced one another with a tight hug, trying to comfort one another's pain as the sunrise showered them with a calm, morning light.  
Meanwhile, at the Kame House, Goku sat up-right on the porch with both legs hanging over the edge. His hands were firmly placed on his legs as he concentrated deeply. His eyes were closed, and he made no sound as he meditated. Not even the creeking of the old, knotty wood from the porch could bothered Goku as Master Roshi walked outside to join him. The old master sat on his swing and placed his cain before him as he laid back into the swing. "He didn't make it, did he?" Master Roshi broke the silence. "No, he failed," Goku replied, still not moving. "I knew that Duriel would be too much for him, but some fellas just won't listen to an old man. But I must admit...I haven't seen such an act of bravery in years! He will be missed," the Master said. "Can we not use the Dragon Balls to bring him back, Master Roshi?" Goku asked, suddenly snapping his head up and opening his stone cold, confident eyes. "I'm afraid not, Goku. The Demon rule of spirit holding applies for vampires as well. If a demon kills someone, then their soul cannot rest until that demon has been killed as well. The victim's body will remain with us and decay into the earth," the wise master informed. Goku couldn't accept such an answer. His fists began to tremble. His teeth began to grind together in pure rage. He suddenly darted to his feet, threw his arms out, and let out a yell that sent shock waves flowing through the ocean. "PICCOLO"  
Vegeta stood outside of Capsule Corp, staring toward the sky. Bulma followed behind him and put her hand on his shoulder. "What are you thinking about, Vegeta?" Bulma asked. Vegeta merely folded his arms and continued to wear his smug frown. Vegeta was thinking of the Z-fighters' fallen comrade as well, but he didn't wish to reveal the truth. "I personally enjoy watching the sunrise, woman," Vegeta snapped at Bulma. He didn't turn around to face her or even move an inch. "Oh really?" she asked. "And when exactly did this love for sunrises come about?" Vegeta sulked his head toward the ground. Sadness has taken his heart as well. He couldn't help but feel terrible for the loss of Piccolo. "He was such a brave warrior. He knew that he would face unfair odds, yet he wished to spare the rest of us by fighting the demon himself. I never thanked him...I never thanked him...for...attempting to save my child..." Vegeta fell to his knees with both of his hands held out wide open. He looked to the sky and began to softly weep.  
I apologize for being gone for so, so long and then returning with a chapter like this. It's not long, and it's not very action packed, but it definitely builds character. :) 


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